I love this story!!
Each December, I vowed to make Christmas a calm and a peaceful experience. I had cut back on nonessential obligations-- extensive card writing, endless baking, decorating, and even overspending.
Yet still, I found myself exhausted, unable to appreciate the precious family moments, and of course, the true meaning of Christmas.
My son, Nicholas, was in kindergarten that year. It was an exciting season for a six year old.
For weeks, he'd been memorizing songs for his school's Winter Pageant.
I didn't have the heart to tell him I'd be working the night of the production.
Unwilling to miss his shining moment, I spoke with his teacher. She assured me there'd be a dress rehearsal the morning of the presentation. All parents unable to attend that evening were welcome to come then.
Fortunately, Nicholas seemed happy with the compromise.
So the morning of the dress rehearsal, I filed in ten minutes early, found a spot on the cafeteria floor, and sat down. Around the room I saw several other parents quietly scampering to their seats.
As I waited, the students were led into the room. Each class, accomp anied by their teacher, sat cross-legged on the floor. Then, each group, one by one, rose to perform their song. Because the public school system had stopped referring to the holiday as "Christmas," I didn't expect anything other than fun, commercial entertainment, songs of reindeer, Santa Claus, snowflakes, and good cheer.
So, when my son's class rose to sing "Christmas Love," I was slightly taken aback by its bold title.
Nicholas was aglow, as were all of his classmates, adorned in fuzzy mittens, red sweaters, and bright snowcaps upon their heads.
Those in the front row, center-stage held up large letters, one by one, to spell out the title of the song.
As the class would sing "C is for Christmas," a child would hold up the letter C. Then, "H is for Happy," and on and on, until each child holding up his portion had presented the complete message "Christmas Love."
The performance was going smoothly, until suddenly, we noticed her -- a small, quiet girl in the front row holding the letter "M" upside down, totally unaware her letter "M" appeared as a "W".
The audience of 1st through 6th graders snickered at this little one's mistake. But she had no idea they were laughing at her, so she stood tall, proudly holding her "W". Although many teachers tried to shush the children, the laughter continued until the last letter was r aised, and we all saw it together.
A hush came over the audience and eyes began to widen.
In that instant, we understood the reason we were there, why we celebrated the holiday in the first place, and why even in the chaos, there was a purpose for our festivities.
For when the last letter was held high, the message read loud and clear:
"C H R I S T W A S L O V E"
And, I believe, He still is.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Christmas Poem
If I decorate my house perfectly with lovely plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights, and shiny glass balls, but do not show love to my family - I'm just another decorator.
If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals, and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime, but do not show love to my family - I'm just another cook.
If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home, and give all that I have to charity, but do not show love to my family - It profits me nothing.
If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties, and sing in the choir's cantata but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.
Love stops the cooking to hug the child.
Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband.
Love is kind, though harried and tired.
Love doesn't envy another home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.
Love doesn't yell at the kids to get out of the way.
Love doesn't give only to those who are able to give in return, but rejoices in giving to those who can't.
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.
Love never fails. Video games will break; pearl necklaces will be lost; golf clubs will rust. But giving the gift of love will endure.
written by Sharon Jaynes
If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals, and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime, but do not show love to my family - I'm just another cook.
If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home, and give all that I have to charity, but do not show love to my family - It profits me nothing.
If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties, and sing in the choir's cantata but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.
Love stops the cooking to hug the child.
Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband.
Love is kind, though harried and tired.
Love doesn't envy another home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.
Love doesn't yell at the kids to get out of the way.
Love doesn't give only to those who are able to give in return, but rejoices in giving to those who can't.
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.
Love never fails. Video games will break; pearl necklaces will be lost; golf clubs will rust. But giving the gift of love will endure.
written by Sharon Jaynes
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Daddys big buck
The boys brought home the venison. Todd got a doe and a buck. J on the second day got a nice sized doe (pretty good for his first year)!Monday, December 1, 2008
daily devotion
Today's Truth "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him who have been called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28 NIV)
Have you ever had a shattered dream? If so, you're not alone.
If ever there was a group of people who lost their dream, it was Jesus' disciples and the women who ministered to and with them. They had such high expectations that Jesus would be the next political leader of Israel (Luke 24:20). They had witnessed his power in feeding 5,000 men plus women and children with two loaves and five fishes; they felt the waves beneath their tiny boat subside at his command; they had watched him breathe life into a lifeless child, open the eyes of a man blind from birth, create new skin from rotting flesh on the limbs of lepers, and command a lame man to take up his pallet and walk. They had seen him walk on water, outwit the Pharisees, and win the lost.
In their narrow scope of hopes for a political leader to save the Jews, they missed the bigger picture of God's plan for a Savior to free mankind from the bondage of sin. While Peter realized Jesus' identity ("You are the Christ."), he did not understand His destiny. Peter was shocked when Jesus explained that He had to go to Jerusalem, suffer, be killed, and on the third day rise from the dead. He even took Jesus aside and said, "Never, Lord. This shall never happen to you!" (Mark 8:33). This was not part of Peter's dream. Suffering did not fit into his plan.
"Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."
Call me stupid, but don't call me Satan. Yet, that is how Jesus sees it when we try to block God's plans. He sees us as an instrument of darkness, an offense, a hindrance and a snare. It is amazing that one minute Peter could be a building block and the next a stumbling block but that's the trap we all fall into when we have our minds set on the world instead of on the things of God.
Jesus told His disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life, will lose it, but whoever lose his life for me will find it." (Matthew 16:24)
Even though Jesus forewarned the disciples of his death and resurrection, they fled when the soldiers came to arrest him, and they hid when he was hung on a cross to die. When Jesus was sealed in the tomb, their hopes and dreams were sealed in the darkness with him.
Every day, I receive emails from women who have had their dreams shattered. A husband has an affair, becomes addicted to pornography, abuses the children, or deserts the family. A child gets caught with drugs, gets pregnant or dies in a car accident. Parents divorce, friends betray, careers come to an abrupt halt. The list is endless. So what do we do when our dreams are seemingly destroyed? The answer to that question will shape the rest of our lives.
Does that mean we give up our dreams? I can promise you this, whatever dreams you have for your life, God's dreams are greater. The power of the Holy Spirit the disciples received after Jesus' resurrection, and the impact they made on the world thereafter, was beyond their wildest dreams. That's what God does with a heart wholly yielded to Him. That's what He does when we give our shattered dreams to Him. I have learned to stop saying "Why me?" but instead start saying "What now?"
Have you ever had a shattered dream? If so, you're not alone.
If ever there was a group of people who lost their dream, it was Jesus' disciples and the women who ministered to and with them. They had such high expectations that Jesus would be the next political leader of Israel (Luke 24:20). They had witnessed his power in feeding 5,000 men plus women and children with two loaves and five fishes; they felt the waves beneath their tiny boat subside at his command; they had watched him breathe life into a lifeless child, open the eyes of a man blind from birth, create new skin from rotting flesh on the limbs of lepers, and command a lame man to take up his pallet and walk. They had seen him walk on water, outwit the Pharisees, and win the lost.
In their narrow scope of hopes for a political leader to save the Jews, they missed the bigger picture of God's plan for a Savior to free mankind from the bondage of sin. While Peter realized Jesus' identity ("You are the Christ."), he did not understand His destiny. Peter was shocked when Jesus explained that He had to go to Jerusalem, suffer, be killed, and on the third day rise from the dead. He even took Jesus aside and said, "Never, Lord. This shall never happen to you!" (Mark 8:33). This was not part of Peter's dream. Suffering did not fit into his plan.
"Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."
Call me stupid, but don't call me Satan. Yet, that is how Jesus sees it when we try to block God's plans. He sees us as an instrument of darkness, an offense, a hindrance and a snare. It is amazing that one minute Peter could be a building block and the next a stumbling block but that's the trap we all fall into when we have our minds set on the world instead of on the things of God.
Jesus told His disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life, will lose it, but whoever lose his life for me will find it." (Matthew 16:24)
Even though Jesus forewarned the disciples of his death and resurrection, they fled when the soldiers came to arrest him, and they hid when he was hung on a cross to die. When Jesus was sealed in the tomb, their hopes and dreams were sealed in the darkness with him.
Every day, I receive emails from women who have had their dreams shattered. A husband has an affair, becomes addicted to pornography, abuses the children, or deserts the family. A child gets caught with drugs, gets pregnant or dies in a car accident. Parents divorce, friends betray, careers come to an abrupt halt. The list is endless. So what do we do when our dreams are seemingly destroyed? The answer to that question will shape the rest of our lives.
Does that mean we give up our dreams? I can promise you this, whatever dreams you have for your life, God's dreams are greater. The power of the Holy Spirit the disciples received after Jesus' resurrection, and the impact they made on the world thereafter, was beyond their wildest dreams. That's what God does with a heart wholly yielded to Him. That's what He does when we give our shattered dreams to Him. I have learned to stop saying "Why me?" but instead start saying "What now?"
Friday, November 14, 2008
Princess' Ponytails too?
Oh yes this wig is from Grandma Pam. She wore it to play all day because she loves ponytails, Think I like her other pony tails better!!
Daily Devotion hurdles!!
Today's Truth James 1:2 (MSG) "Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that, under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way."
Friend to Friend Imagine that it is your birthday, and before you sits the most beautiful gift you have ever seen. You can hardly wait to find out what is inside such an amazing gift box, wrapped in gold and glitter. Everyone gathers to celebrate as you delicately undue the paper from the box. You lift the lid to find a note that reads:
Dear (your name here):
Happy Birthday! This year, you will receive tests and trials that will challenge you to your core and require incredible perseverance and resilience on your part.
The good news is that if you persevere, your faith and your character will be built up.
Love,
James
Would you rejoice in such a gift, or would you throw the box at the gift-giver?
I recently read an article about Lolo Jones, an Olympic Gold Medal hopeful.
Lolo grew up in a family that was homeless for many years. Lolo's father was in and out of jail and not in the picture most of the time, leaving Lolo's mother to raise her and her four siblings alone.
Lolo's story continued as the world watched her overcome her tough childhood through her love for running and hurdles. Due to her come-back attitude, Lolo was touted to be the girl who would live out the American Dream story, from rags to riches, from defeat to glory! Lolo persevered regardless of the odds against her!
However, in one moment, her dreams were crushed when she clipped a hurdle during the Olympic trials and went from 1st place to 7th place.
In less than a second, all that she had worked for, all that she had hoped for in her life was gone. In an interview shortly after her fall, Lolo made this statement:
"As I crossed the line it was very hard to pick myself back up," Jones said through tears. "It took about 30 seconds, but you know what? Today's hard and tomorrow's going to be harder. What can you do but try again?"
How many of us have felt like we couldn't pick ourselves up, that today was hard, but tomorrow didn't look much better?
The good new is that you and I know a God (or we are getting to know a God) that wants us to overcome every hurdle. He wants to heal every wound and help us walk triumphantly into our future!
So ladies, "what can you do but try again?"
Don't let go of your dreams, God hasn't!
Let's Pray Dear Heavenly Father, teach me how to rejoice when I face trials and challenges in my life. Please help me to see the gain and not the loss of these events. I believe that Your plan for my life is the best one possible and I thank You giving me a resilient and thankful attitude regardless of life's trials.
In Jesus' Name, Amen
Friend to Friend Imagine that it is your birthday, and before you sits the most beautiful gift you have ever seen. You can hardly wait to find out what is inside such an amazing gift box, wrapped in gold and glitter. Everyone gathers to celebrate as you delicately undue the paper from the box. You lift the lid to find a note that reads:
Dear (your name here):
Happy Birthday! This year, you will receive tests and trials that will challenge you to your core and require incredible perseverance and resilience on your part.
The good news is that if you persevere, your faith and your character will be built up.
Love,
James
Would you rejoice in such a gift, or would you throw the box at the gift-giver?
I recently read an article about Lolo Jones, an Olympic Gold Medal hopeful.
Lolo grew up in a family that was homeless for many years. Lolo's father was in and out of jail and not in the picture most of the time, leaving Lolo's mother to raise her and her four siblings alone.
Lolo's story continued as the world watched her overcome her tough childhood through her love for running and hurdles. Due to her come-back attitude, Lolo was touted to be the girl who would live out the American Dream story, from rags to riches, from defeat to glory! Lolo persevered regardless of the odds against her!
However, in one moment, her dreams were crushed when she clipped a hurdle during the Olympic trials and went from 1st place to 7th place.
In less than a second, all that she had worked for, all that she had hoped for in her life was gone. In an interview shortly after her fall, Lolo made this statement:
"As I crossed the line it was very hard to pick myself back up," Jones said through tears. "It took about 30 seconds, but you know what? Today's hard and tomorrow's going to be harder. What can you do but try again?"
How many of us have felt like we couldn't pick ourselves up, that today was hard, but tomorrow didn't look much better?
The good new is that you and I know a God (or we are getting to know a God) that wants us to overcome every hurdle. He wants to heal every wound and help us walk triumphantly into our future!
So ladies, "what can you do but try again?"
Don't let go of your dreams, God hasn't!
Let's Pray Dear Heavenly Father, teach me how to rejoice when I face trials and challenges in my life. Please help me to see the gain and not the loss of these events. I believe that Your plan for my life is the best one possible and I thank You giving me a resilient and thankful attitude regardless of life's trials.
In Jesus' Name, Amen
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Come What May
This incredible movie was made starring homeschooled kids. Looks like one of the best movies we have ever seen!!
http://www.godtube.com/comewhatmay
http://adventfilmgroup.com/Purchase_Preview_Edition_DVD.html
http://www.godtube.com/comewhatmay
http://adventfilmgroup.com/Purchase_Preview_Edition_DVD.html
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Daily devotion
After this mornings upsetting results this was a wonderful devotion. God is still in control and his love endures forever. Keep praying friends our country and children's futures NEED it!!
Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,' says the Lord, who has compassion on you" (Isaiah 54:10 NIV).
Friend to Friend 2002 was a year of transition for me. I changed positions at the ministry where I work, my son packed up to go away to college, my thyroid went out of control and had to be purposely destroyed with radioactive iodide, my first book went out of print, the grocery store quit carrying my favorite coffee, and Revlon discontinued the eyeliner that I'd been using for ten years. Like a little girl who had lost her best friend, I whined, "Doesn't anything ever stay the same? Isn't there one thing I can count on being the same tomorrow as it is today!"
Then I heard that gentle whisper I've grown to love, "Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,' says the Lord, who has compassion on you" (Isaiah 54:10 NIV).
Yes, there is one thing that will never change, God's unfailing love for His children. The word compassion in Isaiah 54:10 is the Hebrew word racham, which means "to soothe; to cherish; to love deeply like parents; to be compassionate, be tender. This verb usually refers to a strong love which is rooted in some kind of natural bond, often from a superior one to an inferior. (Now here's the best part.) Small babies evoke this feeling."
When my son, Steven, came into the world, a love was birthed in my heart that I never thought possible. Elizabeth Stone said it well: "To make a decision to have a child, it's momentous. It is to decide to have your heart go walking around outside of your body for the rest of your life." That is how our Heavenly Father feels about His children!
The beautiful Hebrew word, hesed, is translated unfailing love in Isaiah 54:10. It is often translated loving-kindness, steadfast love, grace, mercy, faithfulness, goodness, and devotion. This word is used 240 times in the Old Testament and is considered one of the most important in the vocabulary of the Old Testament. Why? Because God's unfailing love is one of the most important themes of the entire Bible. It is who He is and what He does (I John 4:8).
How would you like to memorize half of a psalm in the next sixty seconds? Want to give it a try? Turn to Psalm 136. After each sentence, there is an echo, "His love endures forever." Repeat that sentence twenty-six times and you will have quoted half of the Psalm! David begins by reminding us that God created the world, led the captives out of Egypt and through the desert, and conquered the enemies of the Israelites so they could move into the Promised Land. While He works in many varied ways and with many different people, one thing remains the same -- "His love endures forever!"
Paul echoes David's words in his letter to the Romans. "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38). "His love endures forever!"
LORD, even though everything else in my life tends to change, I am so thankful that Your love never changes. Your love endures forever. Praise Your Holy Name! In Jesus' Name, Amen
Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,' says the Lord, who has compassion on you" (Isaiah 54:10 NIV).
Friend to Friend 2002 was a year of transition for me. I changed positions at the ministry where I work, my son packed up to go away to college, my thyroid went out of control and had to be purposely destroyed with radioactive iodide, my first book went out of print, the grocery store quit carrying my favorite coffee, and Revlon discontinued the eyeliner that I'd been using for ten years. Like a little girl who had lost her best friend, I whined, "Doesn't anything ever stay the same? Isn't there one thing I can count on being the same tomorrow as it is today!"
Then I heard that gentle whisper I've grown to love, "Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,' says the Lord, who has compassion on you" (Isaiah 54:10 NIV).
Yes, there is one thing that will never change, God's unfailing love for His children. The word compassion in Isaiah 54:10 is the Hebrew word racham, which means "to soothe; to cherish; to love deeply like parents; to be compassionate, be tender. This verb usually refers to a strong love which is rooted in some kind of natural bond, often from a superior one to an inferior. (Now here's the best part.) Small babies evoke this feeling."
When my son, Steven, came into the world, a love was birthed in my heart that I never thought possible. Elizabeth Stone said it well: "To make a decision to have a child, it's momentous. It is to decide to have your heart go walking around outside of your body for the rest of your life." That is how our Heavenly Father feels about His children!
The beautiful Hebrew word, hesed, is translated unfailing love in Isaiah 54:10. It is often translated loving-kindness, steadfast love, grace, mercy, faithfulness, goodness, and devotion. This word is used 240 times in the Old Testament and is considered one of the most important in the vocabulary of the Old Testament. Why? Because God's unfailing love is one of the most important themes of the entire Bible. It is who He is and what He does (I John 4:8).
How would you like to memorize half of a psalm in the next sixty seconds? Want to give it a try? Turn to Psalm 136. After each sentence, there is an echo, "His love endures forever." Repeat that sentence twenty-six times and you will have quoted half of the Psalm! David begins by reminding us that God created the world, led the captives out of Egypt and through the desert, and conquered the enemies of the Israelites so they could move into the Promised Land. While He works in many varied ways and with many different people, one thing remains the same -- "His love endures forever!"
Paul echoes David's words in his letter to the Romans. "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38). "His love endures forever!"
LORD, even though everything else in my life tends to change, I am so thankful that Your love never changes. Your love endures forever. Praise Your Holy Name! In Jesus' Name, Amen
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Yummy GF cheesecake!
http://shop.thecheesecakefactory.com/PublicStore/product/GODIVAsup/sup-Chocolate-Cheesecake,154,92.aspx
This looked to yummy not to share with all our celiac friends!!
This looked to yummy not to share with all our celiac friends!!
Q
Well we have another trip scheduled for this weekend! Q is going to participate in a 1 year Christian discipleship program that helps troubled girls. She starts Saturday morning we have a long journey ahead. She is so EXCITED! This is a very good and healthy step for her. I have been thinking about all the emails I have received from folks who asked how they could help because they really love and care about her. Well here is a chance! The program she is starting is very expensive $850 per month. It is very expensive to offer the care they provide. They are taking her full aware there is no way we can afford it! So I kept thinking about sponsors. I am looking for loved ones to sponsor her for 12 months to help with the program fees. I want to put together a picture board of all the people who believe in her that are helping her complete this program. I think it will be a great motivator for her. I plan to get it ready over the next month and mail it to her as a surprise. So email me if you felt led to help her through this journey. This is not an easy program and she knows all the rules but still can't wait! She told me she really wants to make me proud! She has never said that before. We are going to do what ever we can to make this work for her!
Lawyer speak?
So I went to the Center for Nuerological Disorders MS clinic yesterday. My appointment was at 9:30. The doctor finally graced my presence around 11:30. Apparently he got busy in the back (forgot I was there?) . Well I was just thankful I had nowhere to be well the appointment was interesting as always as they try to explain things. It is actually entertaining (grin).
The doctor is a very nice man but what a reminder we all make mistakes. I went over all the tests and blood woork they have done. Now keep in mind we have discussed lymes disease several times but they had done more than one test and they were negative. Well that is what I was told in my chart the test findings were inconclusive. Well that means neither positive or negative... So he ordered the test again.
So I went to the lab where they could not read his writing and had to call to verify which tests he wanted performed. It turned into an all day experience.
I just kept thinking well you know my first pregnancy test with A was purple. It was supposed to be blue or red it was purple. :)
My blood test for celiac disease inconclusive I am antigliadin defiecient...
I am thankful the love of god is conclusive and to him this is all small potatoes...
Have a blessed day I pray it all concludes with his peace!!
The doctor is a very nice man but what a reminder we all make mistakes. I went over all the tests and blood woork they have done. Now keep in mind we have discussed lymes disease several times but they had done more than one test and they were negative. Well that is what I was told in my chart the test findings were inconclusive. Well that means neither positive or negative... So he ordered the test again.
So I went to the lab where they could not read his writing and had to call to verify which tests he wanted performed. It turned into an all day experience.
I just kept thinking well you know my first pregnancy test with A was purple. It was supposed to be blue or red it was purple. :)
My blood test for celiac disease inconclusive I am antigliadin defiecient...
I am thankful the love of god is conclusive and to him this is all small potatoes...
Have a blessed day I pray it all concludes with his peace!!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
message from God
To: YOU
Date: TODAY
From: GOD
Subject: YOURSELF
Reference: LIFE This is God.
Today I will be handling All of your problems for you. I do Not need your help. So, have a nice day. I love you.
P.S. And, remember... If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do Not attempt to resolve it yourself!
Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do) box. I will get to it in MY TIME. All situations will be resolved, but in My time, not yours. Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold onto it by worrying about it. Instead, focus on all the wonderful things that are present in your life now.
If you find yourself stuck in traffic, don't despair. There are people in this world for whom driving is an unheard of privilege.
Should you have a bad day at work; think of the man who has been out of work for years.
Should you despair over a relationship gone bad; think of the person who has never known what it's like to love and be loved in return.
Should you grieve the passing of another weekend; think of the woman in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week to feed her children.
Should your car break down, leaving you miles away from assistance; think of the paraplegic who would love the opportunity to take that walk.
Should you notice a new gray hair in the mirror; think of the cancer patient in chemo who wishes she had hair to examine.
Should you find yourself at a loss and pondering what is life all about, asking what is my purpose? Be thankful. There are those who didn't live long enough to get the opportunity.
Should you find yourself the victim of other people's bitterness, ignorance, smallness or insecurities; remember, things could be worse. You could be one of them!
Date: TODAY
From: GOD
Subject: YOURSELF
Reference: LIFE This is God.
Today I will be handling All of your problems for you. I do Not need your help. So, have a nice day. I love you.
P.S. And, remember... If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do Not attempt to resolve it yourself!
Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do) box. I will get to it in MY TIME. All situations will be resolved, but in My time, not yours. Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold onto it by worrying about it. Instead, focus on all the wonderful things that are present in your life now.
If you find yourself stuck in traffic, don't despair. There are people in this world for whom driving is an unheard of privilege.
Should you have a bad day at work; think of the man who has been out of work for years.
Should you despair over a relationship gone bad; think of the person who has never known what it's like to love and be loved in return.
Should you grieve the passing of another weekend; think of the woman in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week to feed her children.
Should your car break down, leaving you miles away from assistance; think of the paraplegic who would love the opportunity to take that walk.
Should you notice a new gray hair in the mirror; think of the cancer patient in chemo who wishes she had hair to examine.
Should you find yourself at a loss and pondering what is life all about, asking what is my purpose? Be thankful. There are those who didn't live long enough to get the opportunity.
Should you find yourself the victim of other people's bitterness, ignorance, smallness or insecurities; remember, things could be worse. You could be one of them!
Honesty in Journalism??
Would the Last Honest Reporter Please Turn On the Lights? By Orson Scott Card
Editor's note: Orson Scott Card is a Democrat and a newspaper columnist, and in this opinion piece he takes on both while lamenting the current state of journalism.
An open letter to the local daily paper — almost every local daily paper in America:
I remember reading All the President's Men and thinking: That's journalism. You do what it takes to get the truth and you lay it before the public, because the public has a right to know.
This housing crisis didn't come out of nowhere. It was not a vague emanation of the evil Bush administration.
It was a direct result of the political decision, back in the late 1990s, to loosen the rules of lending so that home loans would be more accessible to poor people. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were authorized to approve risky loans.
What is a risky loan? It's a loan that the recipient is likely not to be able to repay.
The goal of this rule change was to help the poor — which especially would help members of minority groups. But how does it help these people to give them a loan that they can't repay? They get into a house, yes, but when they can't make the payments, they lose the house — along with their credit rating.
They end up worse off than before.
This was completely foreseeable and in fact many people did foresee it. One political party, in Congress and in the executive branch, tried repeatedly to tighten up the rules. The other party blocked every such attempt and tried to loosen them.
Furthermore, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae were making political contributions to the very members of Congress who were allowing them to make irresponsible loans. (Though why quasi-federal agencies were allowed to do so baffles me. It's as if the Pentagon were allowed to contribute to the political campaigns of Congressmen who support increasing their budget.)
Isn't there a story here? Doesn't journalism require that you who produce our daily paper tell the truth about who brought us to a position where the only way to keep confidence in our economy was a $700 billion bailout? Aren't you supposed to follow the money and see which politicians were benefiting personally from the deregulation of mortgage lending?
I have no doubt that if these facts had pointed to the Republican Party or to John McCain as the guilty parties, you would be treating it as a vast scandal. "Housing-gate," no doubt. Or "Fannie-gate."
Instead, it was Senator Christopher Dodd and Congressman Barney Frank, both Democrats, who denied that there were any problems, who refused Bush administration requests to set up a regulatory agency to watch over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and who were still pushing for these agencies to go even further in promoting sub-prime mortgage loans almost up to the minute they failed.
As Thomas Sowell points out in a TownHall.com essay entitled "Do Facts Matter?" ( http://snipurl.com/457townhall_com] ): "Alan Greenspan warned them four years ago. So did the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers to the President. So did Bush's Secretary of the Treasury."
These are facts. This financial crisis was completely preventable. The party that blocked any attempt to prevent it was ... the Democratic Party. The party that tried to prevent it was ... the Republican Party.
Yet when Nancy Pelosi accused the Bush administration and Republican deregulation of causing the crisis, you in the press did not hold her to account for her lie. Instead, you criticized Republicans who took offense at this lie and refused to vote for the bailout!
What? It's not the liar, but the victims of the lie who are to blame?
Now let's follow the money ... right to the presidential candidate who is the number-two recipient of campaign contributions from Fannie Mae.
And after Freddie Raines, the CEO of Fannie Mae who made $90 million while running it into the ground, was fired for his incompetence, one presidential candidate's campaign actually consulted him for advice on housing.
If that presidential candidate had been John McCain, you would have called it a major scandal and we would be getting stories in your paper every day about how incompetent and corrupt he was.
But instead, that candidate was Barack Obama, and so you have buried this story, and when the McCain campaign dared to call Raines an "adviser" to the Obama campaign — because that campaign had sought his advice — you actually let Obama's people get away with accusing McCain of lying, merely because Raines wasn't listed as an official adviser to the Obama campaign.
You would never tolerate such weasely nit-picking from a Republican.
If you who produce our local daily paper actually had any principles, you would be pounding this story, because the prosperity of all Americans was put at risk by the foolish, short-sighted, politically selfish, and possibly corrupt actions of leading Democrats, including Obama.
If you who produce our local daily paper had any personal honor, you would find it unbearable to let the American people believe that somehow Republicans were to blame for this crisis.
There are precedents. Even though President Bush and his administration never said that Iraq sponsored or was linked to 9/11, you could not stand the fact that Americans had that misapprehension — so you pounded us with the fact that there was no such link. (Along the way, you created the false impression that Bush had lied to them and said that there was a connection.)
If you had any principles, then surely right now, when the American people are set to blame President Bush and John McCain for a crisis they tried to prevent, and are actually shifting to approve of Barack Obama because of a crisis he helped cause, you would be laboring at least as hard to correct that false impression.
Your job, as journalists, is to tell the truth. That's what you claim you do, when you accept people's money to buy or subscribe to your paper.
But right now, you are consenting to or actively promoting a big fat lie — that the housing crisis should somehow be blamed on Bush, McCain, and the Republicans. You have trained the American people to blame everything bad — even bad weather — on Bush, and they are responding as you have taught them to.
If you had any personal honor, each reporter and editor would be insisting on telling the truth — even if it hurts the election chances of your favorite candidate.
Because that's what honorable people do. Honest people tell the truth even when they don't like the probable consequences. That's what honesty means . That's how trust is earned.
Barack Obama is just another politician, and not a very wise one. He has revealed his ignorance and naivete time after time — and you have swept it under the rug, treated it as nothing.
Meanwhile, you have participated in the borking of Sarah Palin, reporting savage attacks on her for the pregnancy of her unmarried daughter — while you ignored the story of John Edwards's own adultery for many months.
So I ask you now: Do you have any standards at all? Do you even know what honesty means?
Is getting people to vote for Barack Obama so important that you will throw away everything that journalism is supposed to stand for?
You might want to remember the way the National Organization of Women threw away their integrity by supporting Bill Clinton despite his well-known pattern of sexual exploitation of powerless women. Who listens to NOW anymore? We know they stand for nothing; they have no principles.
That's where you are right now.
It's not too late. You know that if the situation were reversed, and the truth would damage McCain and help Obama, you would be moving heaven and earth to get the true story out there.
If you want to redeem your honor, you will swallow hard and make a list of all the stories you would print if it were McCain who had been getting money from Fannie Mae, McCain whose campaign had consulted with its discredited former CEO, McCain who had voted against tightening its lending practices.
Then you will print them, even though every one of those true stories will point the finger of blame at the reckless Democratic Party, which put our nation's prosperity at risk so they could feel good about helping the poor, and lay a fair share of the blame at Obama's door.
You will also tell the truth about John McCain: that he tried, as a Senator, to do what it took to prevent this crisis. You will tell the truth about President Bush: that his administration tried more than once to get Congress to regulate lending in a responsible way.
This was a Congress-caused crisis, beginning during the Clinton administration, with Democrats leading the way into the crisis and blocking every effort to get out of it in a timely fashion.
If you at our local daily newspaper continue to let Americans believe — and vote as if — President Bush and the Republicans caused the crisis, then you are joining in that lie.
If you do not tell the truth about the Democrats — including Barack Obama — and do so with the same energy you would use if the miscreants were Republicans — then you are not journalists by any standard.
You're just the public relations machine of the Democratic Party, and it's time you were all fired and real journalists brought in, so that we can actually have a news paper in our city.
This article first appeared in The Rhinoceros Times of Greensboro, North Carolina, and is used here by permission.
Editor's note: Orson Scott Card is a Democrat and a newspaper columnist, and in this opinion piece he takes on both while lamenting the current state of journalism.
An open letter to the local daily paper — almost every local daily paper in America:
I remember reading All the President's Men and thinking: That's journalism. You do what it takes to get the truth and you lay it before the public, because the public has a right to know.
This housing crisis didn't come out of nowhere. It was not a vague emanation of the evil Bush administration.
It was a direct result of the political decision, back in the late 1990s, to loosen the rules of lending so that home loans would be more accessible to poor people. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were authorized to approve risky loans.
What is a risky loan? It's a loan that the recipient is likely not to be able to repay.
The goal of this rule change was to help the poor — which especially would help members of minority groups. But how does it help these people to give them a loan that they can't repay? They get into a house, yes, but when they can't make the payments, they lose the house — along with their credit rating.
They end up worse off than before.
This was completely foreseeable and in fact many people did foresee it. One political party, in Congress and in the executive branch, tried repeatedly to tighten up the rules. The other party blocked every such attempt and tried to loosen them.
Furthermore, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae were making political contributions to the very members of Congress who were allowing them to make irresponsible loans. (Though why quasi-federal agencies were allowed to do so baffles me. It's as if the Pentagon were allowed to contribute to the political campaigns of Congressmen who support increasing their budget.)
Isn't there a story here? Doesn't journalism require that you who produce our daily paper tell the truth about who brought us to a position where the only way to keep confidence in our economy was a $700 billion bailout? Aren't you supposed to follow the money and see which politicians were benefiting personally from the deregulation of mortgage lending?
I have no doubt that if these facts had pointed to the Republican Party or to John McCain as the guilty parties, you would be treating it as a vast scandal. "Housing-gate," no doubt. Or "Fannie-gate."
Instead, it was Senator Christopher Dodd and Congressman Barney Frank, both Democrats, who denied that there were any problems, who refused Bush administration requests to set up a regulatory agency to watch over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and who were still pushing for these agencies to go even further in promoting sub-prime mortgage loans almost up to the minute they failed.
As Thomas Sowell points out in a TownHall.com essay entitled "Do Facts Matter?" ( http://snipurl.com/457townhall_com] ): "Alan Greenspan warned them four years ago. So did the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers to the President. So did Bush's Secretary of the Treasury."
These are facts. This financial crisis was completely preventable. The party that blocked any attempt to prevent it was ... the Democratic Party. The party that tried to prevent it was ... the Republican Party.
Yet when Nancy Pelosi accused the Bush administration and Republican deregulation of causing the crisis, you in the press did not hold her to account for her lie. Instead, you criticized Republicans who took offense at this lie and refused to vote for the bailout!
What? It's not the liar, but the victims of the lie who are to blame?
Now let's follow the money ... right to the presidential candidate who is the number-two recipient of campaign contributions from Fannie Mae.
And after Freddie Raines, the CEO of Fannie Mae who made $90 million while running it into the ground, was fired for his incompetence, one presidential candidate's campaign actually consulted him for advice on housing.
If that presidential candidate had been John McCain, you would have called it a major scandal and we would be getting stories in your paper every day about how incompetent and corrupt he was.
But instead, that candidate was Barack Obama, and so you have buried this story, and when the McCain campaign dared to call Raines an "adviser" to the Obama campaign — because that campaign had sought his advice — you actually let Obama's people get away with accusing McCain of lying, merely because Raines wasn't listed as an official adviser to the Obama campaign.
You would never tolerate such weasely nit-picking from a Republican.
If you who produce our local daily paper actually had any principles, you would be pounding this story, because the prosperity of all Americans was put at risk by the foolish, short-sighted, politically selfish, and possibly corrupt actions of leading Democrats, including Obama.
If you who produce our local daily paper had any personal honor, you would find it unbearable to let the American people believe that somehow Republicans were to blame for this crisis.
There are precedents. Even though President Bush and his administration never said that Iraq sponsored or was linked to 9/11, you could not stand the fact that Americans had that misapprehension — so you pounded us with the fact that there was no such link. (Along the way, you created the false impression that Bush had lied to them and said that there was a connection.)
If you had any principles, then surely right now, when the American people are set to blame President Bush and John McCain for a crisis they tried to prevent, and are actually shifting to approve of Barack Obama because of a crisis he helped cause, you would be laboring at least as hard to correct that false impression.
Your job, as journalists, is to tell the truth. That's what you claim you do, when you accept people's money to buy or subscribe to your paper.
But right now, you are consenting to or actively promoting a big fat lie — that the housing crisis should somehow be blamed on Bush, McCain, and the Republicans. You have trained the American people to blame everything bad — even bad weather — on Bush, and they are responding as you have taught them to.
If you had any personal honor, each reporter and editor would be insisting on telling the truth — even if it hurts the election chances of your favorite candidate.
Because that's what honorable people do. Honest people tell the truth even when they don't like the probable consequences. That's what honesty means . That's how trust is earned.
Barack Obama is just another politician, and not a very wise one. He has revealed his ignorance and naivete time after time — and you have swept it under the rug, treated it as nothing.
Meanwhile, you have participated in the borking of Sarah Palin, reporting savage attacks on her for the pregnancy of her unmarried daughter — while you ignored the story of John Edwards's own adultery for many months.
So I ask you now: Do you have any standards at all? Do you even know what honesty means?
Is getting people to vote for Barack Obama so important that you will throw away everything that journalism is supposed to stand for?
You might want to remember the way the National Organization of Women threw away their integrity by supporting Bill Clinton despite his well-known pattern of sexual exploitation of powerless women. Who listens to NOW anymore? We know they stand for nothing; they have no principles.
That's where you are right now.
It's not too late. You know that if the situation were reversed, and the truth would damage McCain and help Obama, you would be moving heaven and earth to get the true story out there.
If you want to redeem your honor, you will swallow hard and make a list of all the stories you would print if it were McCain who had been getting money from Fannie Mae, McCain whose campaign had consulted with its discredited former CEO, McCain who had voted against tightening its lending practices.
Then you will print them, even though every one of those true stories will point the finger of blame at the reckless Democratic Party, which put our nation's prosperity at risk so they could feel good about helping the poor, and lay a fair share of the blame at Obama's door.
You will also tell the truth about John McCain: that he tried, as a Senator, to do what it took to prevent this crisis. You will tell the truth about President Bush: that his administration tried more than once to get Congress to regulate lending in a responsible way.
This was a Congress-caused crisis, beginning during the Clinton administration, with Democrats leading the way into the crisis and blocking every effort to get out of it in a timely fashion.
If you at our local daily newspaper continue to let Americans believe — and vote as if — President Bush and the Republicans caused the crisis, then you are joining in that lie.
If you do not tell the truth about the Democrats — including Barack Obama — and do so with the same energy you would use if the miscreants were Republicans — then you are not journalists by any standard.
You're just the public relations machine of the Democratic Party, and it's time you were all fired and real journalists brought in, so that we can actually have a news paper in our city.
This article first appeared in The Rhinoceros Times of Greensboro, North Carolina, and is used here by permission.
Monday, October 27, 2008
WHEN YOU THOUGHT I WASN'T LOOKING
When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator, and I immediately wanted to paint another one.
When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you feed a stray cat , and I learned that it was good to be kind to animals.
When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you make my favorite cake for me, and I learned that the little things can be the special things in life.
When you thought I wasn't looking I heard you say a prayer, and I knew that there is a God I could always talk to, and I learned to trust in Him.
When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you make a meal and take it to a friend who was sick, and I learned that we all have to help take care of each other.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you give of your time and money to help people who had nothing, and I learned that those who have something should give to those who don't.
When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you take care of our house and everyone in it, and I learned we have to take care of what we are given.
When you thought I wasn't looking I saw how you handled your responsibilities, even when you didn't feel good, and I learned that I would have to be responsible when I grow up.
When you thought I wasn't looking I saw tears come from your eyes, and I learned that sometimes things hurt, but it's all right to cry.
When you thought I wasn't looking I saw that you cared, and I wanted to be everything that I could be.
When you thought I wasn't looking I learned most of life's lessons that I need to know to be a good and productive person when I grow up.
When you thought I wasn't looking I looked at you and wanted to say, 'Thanks for all the things I saw when you thought I wasn't looking.'
When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you feed a stray cat , and I learned that it was good to be kind to animals.
When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you make my favorite cake for me, and I learned that the little things can be the special things in life.
When you thought I wasn't looking I heard you say a prayer, and I knew that there is a God I could always talk to, and I learned to trust in Him.
When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you make a meal and take it to a friend who was sick, and I learned that we all have to help take care of each other.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you give of your time and money to help people who had nothing, and I learned that those who have something should give to those who don't.
When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you take care of our house and everyone in it, and I learned we have to take care of what we are given.
When you thought I wasn't looking I saw how you handled your responsibilities, even when you didn't feel good, and I learned that I would have to be responsible when I grow up.
When you thought I wasn't looking I saw tears come from your eyes, and I learned that sometimes things hurt, but it's all right to cry.
When you thought I wasn't looking I saw that you cared, and I wanted to be everything that I could be.
When you thought I wasn't looking I learned most of life's lessons that I need to know to be a good and productive person when I grow up.
When you thought I wasn't looking I looked at you and wanted to say, 'Thanks for all the things I saw when you thought I wasn't looking.'
Friday, October 24, 2008
Fireproof
My sweetie took me out for dinner and a movie last week before leaving town for a few days..
This is an awesome movie every married person grab your partner and go together don't miss this one!!
http://www.fireproofthemovie.com/
Never leave your partner behind.....
This is an awesome movie every married person grab your partner and go together don't miss this one!!
http://www.fireproofthemovie.com/
Never leave your partner behind.....
Todays Truth
A sweet friend recently reminded me of this verse and todays devotional was too good not to share!!
Today's Truth
"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7 NIV)
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." (Philippians 4:6 NIV)
Friend To Friend
I memorized today's verse as a little girl in Christian school. However, as is typical of God's Word, the meaning of the verse deepens each time God applies it to my life. Just two weeks ago, God reminded me again how much He really does care.
Rushing around on last minute errands prior to a trip, I needed to drop a pre-packaged delivery envelope into the nearest UPS collection box. To my dismay, the receptacle I drove to was a FedEx drop box instead. As I kept driving, my mind tried - without success - to come up with the next closest UPS box.
This problem may not rank high on your personal list of frustrations, but that particular day's schedule and my patience were seriously overloaded. Crying out to God, I asked what to do. In the very next second, I passed a convenience store where a big, brown UPS truck sat idling in the parking lot. The driver congenially accepted my parcel, and I pulled away humbly worshipping the God who cares about the tiniest details of our lives.
Just twenty-four hours later, I approached my travel destination only to find my directions slightly amiss. Deciding to pull off onto a quiet side street to check the map, I began making the corner and immediately knew something was seriously wrong with the car. Carefully guiding the car to the curb, I parked and got out to investigate the problem.
Imagine my shock when I noticed a rear wheel was coming off of the car! The five lug nuts normally holding it onto the car were completely missing. Lying on the pavement behind the car, I could see from underneath a separation between the wheel and axel. My mind whirled with the possible scenarios. Just ten minutes before, I had been driving fast in thick traffic on the Interstate. Worship again flooded my soul as I knelt before the Lord and thanked Him for taking such good care of me.
While the world chants: "Don't worry, be happy," we Christians should practice a much more appropriate principle: "Don't worry, God cares!" God knows and God really does care about the little and large things that touch our lives.
Let's Pray Lord, thank You for caring about every single detail of my life and for taking care of them all. Help me to trust You more and turn to You more quickly for help in every situation. In Jesus' Name, Amen
Today's Truth
"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7 NIV)
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." (Philippians 4:6 NIV)
Friend To Friend
I memorized today's verse as a little girl in Christian school. However, as is typical of God's Word, the meaning of the verse deepens each time God applies it to my life. Just two weeks ago, God reminded me again how much He really does care.
Rushing around on last minute errands prior to a trip, I needed to drop a pre-packaged delivery envelope into the nearest UPS collection box. To my dismay, the receptacle I drove to was a FedEx drop box instead. As I kept driving, my mind tried - without success - to come up with the next closest UPS box.
This problem may not rank high on your personal list of frustrations, but that particular day's schedule and my patience were seriously overloaded. Crying out to God, I asked what to do. In the very next second, I passed a convenience store where a big, brown UPS truck sat idling in the parking lot. The driver congenially accepted my parcel, and I pulled away humbly worshipping the God who cares about the tiniest details of our lives.
Just twenty-four hours later, I approached my travel destination only to find my directions slightly amiss. Deciding to pull off onto a quiet side street to check the map, I began making the corner and immediately knew something was seriously wrong with the car. Carefully guiding the car to the curb, I parked and got out to investigate the problem.
Imagine my shock when I noticed a rear wheel was coming off of the car! The five lug nuts normally holding it onto the car were completely missing. Lying on the pavement behind the car, I could see from underneath a separation between the wheel and axel. My mind whirled with the possible scenarios. Just ten minutes before, I had been driving fast in thick traffic on the Interstate. Worship again flooded my soul as I knelt before the Lord and thanked Him for taking such good care of me.
While the world chants: "Don't worry, be happy," we Christians should practice a much more appropriate principle: "Don't worry, God cares!" God knows and God really does care about the little and large things that touch our lives.
Let's Pray Lord, thank You for caring about every single detail of my life and for taking care of them all. Help me to trust You more and turn to You more quickly for help in every situation. In Jesus' Name, Amen
Thursday, October 23, 2008
handsome dude!
Wild Mike has had the most dramatic change over the past couple weeks. He is singing and dancing. We never knew he could talk so much. We have seen this little love come to life. He goes to rainbows every wednesday night and last night his friend said, " I never knew he could talk, he talks better than me" Now I hope we can get him potty trained. His thumb is in his mouth less too :)She is sure growing....
Princess sure is growing fast over the past few weeks there has been such an amazing change in her. She is such a mature young lady.....
Friday, October 17, 2008
Michelle Obama
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/thesis.asp
interesting read....
I posted one about Mrs. Mc Cain here a while ago so here is one about Mrs. Obama.
I am a girl, my blog so I chose to share about the ladies...
Don't forget to get out and vote!! This is America we choose!!
interesting read....
I posted one about Mrs. Mc Cain here a while ago so here is one about Mrs. Obama.
I am a girl, my blog so I chose to share about the ladies...
Don't forget to get out and vote!! This is America we choose!!
Friends
I got a couple emails last night and this morning from such awesome women praying for me!! Thanks you so much!! I would not even know these amazing gals if it weren't for our Liberian adoptions and don't know how I would live without such amazing friends!! Thank you ladies!!
Thoughts...
So today I woke up feeling very grumpy. I have a headache and just feel irritated. This high does of predisone is getting to me :( Since this is where I am able to journal and share my thoughts with such sweet friends and the rest of you :) Stop reading now if easily offended. (grin)
Love is patient, love is kind, does not envy, boast keep record of wrongs.... We all know the verse right. This is the kind of love I try for but every once in a while catch myself too... From behind my safe little fence casting my opinion out on others.
You see as much as all this free will stuff ticks me off because life would be so much easier with out it. Boy would it be boring.
Last weekend while visiting some family a conversation emerged between an adult and one of our kids (without us around of coarse) about the adults disapproval of the type of school our chiildren attend. We have already had this conversation with this adult.
Well A we (the parents) choose what is best for our kids and B just because we don't do things as you would does not make them wrong :) A point a sweet sister in law recently pointed out too :) Couldn't agree more!!
We don't have to all hold the same opinion to love one another. I mean to really love each other and maybe not cast blame and judge situations we ourselves could never really understand. How can I disagree with how you handle something I have no grasp on the complexity of? Just a thought. I can't help but wonder how so many people can read my blog and all of them walk away thinking I meant something different. I believe so many of us walk away unchanged, walking away just like we walked in. We comprehend and evaluate everything with our own filter seeing and hearing what we want or are comfortable with. Maybe feeling a little puffed up but not really changed. We can walk our own path, God's path, or even a combination of them. But we can't walk anothers path. We can walk with them loving them, or we might as well just leave them alone. I tend to be pretty black and white. Honest with whomever I am talking to. I won't be talking about you or your choices behind your back. Not very good at being blunt, but this all has CHANGED me. And for that I am thankful I have alot to learn yet.
Love is patient, love is kind, does not envy, boast keep record of wrongs.... We all know the verse right. This is the kind of love I try for but every once in a while catch myself too... From behind my safe little fence casting my opinion out on others.
You see as much as all this free will stuff ticks me off because life would be so much easier with out it. Boy would it be boring.
Last weekend while visiting some family a conversation emerged between an adult and one of our kids (without us around of coarse) about the adults disapproval of the type of school our chiildren attend. We have already had this conversation with this adult.
Well A we (the parents) choose what is best for our kids and B just because we don't do things as you would does not make them wrong :) A point a sweet sister in law recently pointed out too :) Couldn't agree more!!
We don't have to all hold the same opinion to love one another. I mean to really love each other and maybe not cast blame and judge situations we ourselves could never really understand. How can I disagree with how you handle something I have no grasp on the complexity of? Just a thought. I can't help but wonder how so many people can read my blog and all of them walk away thinking I meant something different. I believe so many of us walk away unchanged, walking away just like we walked in. We comprehend and evaluate everything with our own filter seeing and hearing what we want or are comfortable with. Maybe feeling a little puffed up but not really changed. We can walk our own path, God's path, or even a combination of them. But we can't walk anothers path. We can walk with them loving them, or we might as well just leave them alone. I tend to be pretty black and white. Honest with whomever I am talking to. I won't be talking about you or your choices behind your back. Not very good at being blunt, but this all has CHANGED me. And for that I am thankful I have alot to learn yet.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Wild Mike at the dentist with Mommy....
Wild Mike wanted his picture with his cool Daddy glasses the dentist let him borrow. He wanted it with Mommy :) That's my boy!!Wild Mike and the Dentist
Wild Mike had his first dentist visit he was so quiet and such a good boy. He let the dentist count and polish :) No cavities but no more thumb thumb....??? We'll see how that goes (grin) Best news all the kids have been to the dentist over the past couple months and none of them hads any cavities. Now that is something to smile about!!Wild Mike and his friend!
Putting the last touch on his scarecrow Wild Mike was very careful to pick the right hat. He picked one for himself and one for his friend.Grandma and the pumpkin patch
I am not sure who had more fun 3 little grandkids or grandma? We went on a horse ride, made scarecrows, saw animals, and ran around outside :) What a fun day!!Rosebud and her brother!
Some days are crazy but in all the craziness some fun surprises are around you don't forget to look :) We took Rosebud in for her shots and check up and I saw a gal I used to work with. Well we started chatting and realized she had Rosebud's brother. It was so cute as the 2 puppies ran to each other to play. They were seperated at 5 weeks and are now almost 4 months old. It was very fun of coarse I pulled out the camera. It was hard to get them to sit still for a picture J helped out.Wealth
Luke 12:15
"Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."
Greed and stress go hand-in-hand. If we want to eliminate stress, we must choose to put "things" in their proper place, refusing to attach importance to them. In Luke 12:15, Jesus issues a warning, "Be careful and guard against all kinds of greed. Life is not measured by how much one owns" (ICB). I believe that attaching importance to "things" is sin and will always lead to more sin. The monster of greed is fed by fear. We are afraid to give it all to God. We are afraid of not having enough. We are afraid to sacrifice and not having enough resources for the future. How important are your possessions? How do you view the things you possess?
The story is told of the world's stingiest man who went shopping for a friend's gift. Everything was too expensive, except for a $50.00 vase that was on sale for $2.00 because the handle had been broken off. The stingy man bought it and had the salesman ship it so that his friend would think that he had paid the full price of $50.00 for the vase and that it had been broken in shipment. A week later, the penny-pinching man received a thank you note from his friend. "Thank you for the lovely vase," the note read. "It was so nice of you to wrap each piece separately."
One way we can guard against greed and control our wants is to view our possessions as resources loaned to us by God for us to disperse instead of treating them as earned rewards or deserved pleasures. "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others." (I Peter 4:10 NIV) Every spiritual gift, every financial resource and possession has been given to us by God as a way to serve others. Greed steps in the minute we begin to view those gifts and resources as our own while clutching them tightly in our hands and in our hearts. Fear then leads us to worry about losing what is not really ours to begin with and left unchecked, greed can lead to dishonesty. Greed and exaggerated wants can control our lives to the point that we are consumed by a fear that naturally leads to dishonesty and lies.
The reality is that who we are should never be measured in terms of what we have or do not have. Instead, our lives are measured by who and what we are. The lure of material wealth is undeniably stronger than the human will or self-control and always positions itself between us and God. The result will always be stress. Someday, I think we will discover that the door that shuts out many from heaven is covered with silver and gold.
I love the story of a wealthy man who prayed, asking for permission to take his earthly wealth with him when he died and went to heaven. An angel appeared to the man and said, "We heard your prayer, but I am sorry. You simply cannot take it with you." The man pleaded so passionately that the angel said, "Let me see what I can do." When the angel returned, he reported, "Good news! God has made an exception for you. You may bring one suitcase with you when it is your time to go." Delighted, the man packed his one suitcase and went on with life. Several years later, he died and appeared at the Pearly Gates where he was met by St. Peter who took one look at the suitcase and said, "I am sorry, sir, but you cannot bring that in with you." The man protested, "But I received special permission." Just then, the angel appeared and said, "Peter, it is true. He has special permission to bring one suitcase in with him." Curious, Peter said, "Do you mind showing me what is in the bag that is so important to you?" With a smile, the man replied, "Not at all" and proceeded to open the suitcase to reveal stacks of gold bricks. Peter's face said it all, "Pavement? You brought pavement with you?"
Stress thrives on greed that urges us on, in a never-ending and futile quest to accumulate "pavement" here that is totally worthless there! Wealth is all a matter of perspective. We need to understand that our Father wants us to have wealth. We just have to be careful that we do not settle for earthly money and possessions instead of eternal treasures.
"Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."
Greed and stress go hand-in-hand. If we want to eliminate stress, we must choose to put "things" in their proper place, refusing to attach importance to them. In Luke 12:15, Jesus issues a warning, "Be careful and guard against all kinds of greed. Life is not measured by how much one owns" (ICB). I believe that attaching importance to "things" is sin and will always lead to more sin. The monster of greed is fed by fear. We are afraid to give it all to God. We are afraid of not having enough. We are afraid to sacrifice and not having enough resources for the future. How important are your possessions? How do you view the things you possess?
The story is told of the world's stingiest man who went shopping for a friend's gift. Everything was too expensive, except for a $50.00 vase that was on sale for $2.00 because the handle had been broken off. The stingy man bought it and had the salesman ship it so that his friend would think that he had paid the full price of $50.00 for the vase and that it had been broken in shipment. A week later, the penny-pinching man received a thank you note from his friend. "Thank you for the lovely vase," the note read. "It was so nice of you to wrap each piece separately."
One way we can guard against greed and control our wants is to view our possessions as resources loaned to us by God for us to disperse instead of treating them as earned rewards or deserved pleasures. "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others." (I Peter 4:10 NIV) Every spiritual gift, every financial resource and possession has been given to us by God as a way to serve others. Greed steps in the minute we begin to view those gifts and resources as our own while clutching them tightly in our hands and in our hearts. Fear then leads us to worry about losing what is not really ours to begin with and left unchecked, greed can lead to dishonesty. Greed and exaggerated wants can control our lives to the point that we are consumed by a fear that naturally leads to dishonesty and lies.
The reality is that who we are should never be measured in terms of what we have or do not have. Instead, our lives are measured by who and what we are. The lure of material wealth is undeniably stronger than the human will or self-control and always positions itself between us and God. The result will always be stress. Someday, I think we will discover that the door that shuts out many from heaven is covered with silver and gold.
I love the story of a wealthy man who prayed, asking for permission to take his earthly wealth with him when he died and went to heaven. An angel appeared to the man and said, "We heard your prayer, but I am sorry. You simply cannot take it with you." The man pleaded so passionately that the angel said, "Let me see what I can do." When the angel returned, he reported, "Good news! God has made an exception for you. You may bring one suitcase with you when it is your time to go." Delighted, the man packed his one suitcase and went on with life. Several years later, he died and appeared at the Pearly Gates where he was met by St. Peter who took one look at the suitcase and said, "I am sorry, sir, but you cannot bring that in with you." The man protested, "But I received special permission." Just then, the angel appeared and said, "Peter, it is true. He has special permission to bring one suitcase in with him." Curious, Peter said, "Do you mind showing me what is in the bag that is so important to you?" With a smile, the man replied, "Not at all" and proceeded to open the suitcase to reveal stacks of gold bricks. Peter's face said it all, "Pavement? You brought pavement with you?"
Stress thrives on greed that urges us on, in a never-ending and futile quest to accumulate "pavement" here that is totally worthless there! Wealth is all a matter of perspective. We need to understand that our Father wants us to have wealth. We just have to be careful that we do not settle for earthly money and possessions instead of eternal treasures.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Saturday, October 11, 2008
email...
Dear friends who have been trying to email me please try again. My email was shut down sometime between Wed. night and Thursday morning until late Friday. So please try again!! This has been a bad time to have so many important emails rejected!! :( I sent myself a test message that came through so hope it is working!! Hope you try again!!
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Princess starts piano...
Princess started piano lessons today. I can't believe she is so big already! Her teacher said she will do great she is a smarty pants just like her shirt says :)
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
funny??
So I have had so much to blog about for so long and had no time to. So now you may get sick of the posts for awhile as I catch up with a few thoughts...
You know when things get crazy but you still need to find something to laugh about...
Well in our talks about how to share our family changes so many times we have laughed and said lets say nothing and see how long it takes anyone to notice (hehe)
Although we have never taken this approach it is amusing! Especially now when receiving emails from others who want to contact S & Q directly. People who only met them a couple times and never called or wrote them before. People whom had we not told it could have taken years for them to find out.
So as I take a minute to chuckle as questions roll in from those uninvolved in our daily lives. I have to wonder how long would it have taken for them to know?? (he he)
Don't get me wrong I am so thankful they are now wanting to take a front row seat and be involved. I count that as another blessing in all this. I just hope no one forgets I have 6 kids that would love that concern not just 2. All 6 of our kids are cool !
I am in no way upset for the limited contact so many of us have, life is busy. Something we are trying to get a new pace at.
I also understand things have been tough here and many have chosen to tuck and run. All part of the human condition, run from suffering. People have known for awhile we were needing help and are now just emerging as really being concerned even shocked??
No one likes to see people hurting I get it.
Just enjoying the amusement park called life.
You know when things get crazy but you still need to find something to laugh about...
Well in our talks about how to share our family changes so many times we have laughed and said lets say nothing and see how long it takes anyone to notice (hehe)
Although we have never taken this approach it is amusing! Especially now when receiving emails from others who want to contact S & Q directly. People who only met them a couple times and never called or wrote them before. People whom had we not told it could have taken years for them to find out.
So as I take a minute to chuckle as questions roll in from those uninvolved in our daily lives. I have to wonder how long would it have taken for them to know?? (he he)
Don't get me wrong I am so thankful they are now wanting to take a front row seat and be involved. I count that as another blessing in all this. I just hope no one forgets I have 6 kids that would love that concern not just 2. All 6 of our kids are cool !
I am in no way upset for the limited contact so many of us have, life is busy. Something we are trying to get a new pace at.
I also understand things have been tough here and many have chosen to tuck and run. All part of the human condition, run from suffering. People have known for awhile we were needing help and are now just emerging as really being concerned even shocked??
No one likes to see people hurting I get it.
Just enjoying the amusement park called life.
Dad's & Grandmas
A dear friend reminded me Dad's understand what it is like to just love a child unconditionally too. This has been a long journey for the awesome Daddy in our house and I am so thankful for him!!
I also have to take this chance to thank Grandma Sue she has been such a blessing over this past weekend! I really missed my grandma, she was such a support through so much of this and she is now helping from heaven.
So Daddy's, & Grandma's too really know how to love us all!!
And grandpas........
I also have to take this chance to thank Grandma Sue she has been such a blessing over this past weekend! I really missed my grandma, she was such a support through so much of this and she is now helping from heaven.
So Daddy's, & Grandma's too really know how to love us all!!
And grandpas........
Monday, October 6, 2008
mountains and valleys
I know 2 posts in one day but bear with me....
So without the deep valleys how can you really appreciate the mountain top view? Boy I could go on about all my hardships, health issues, whatever. Life is not easy then God gives us free will on top of it! But I could also go on about all my blessings.....
Here is an example. I had some cancerous issues over 10 years ago ended up having a hysterectomy I thought it was horrible and questioned why God?? I felt destroyed... I was so thankful for my 2 beautiful children but knew I had more.
Well I never needed chemo and felt better I am happy to never know what God protected me from. Had that not happened I would never had pursued adoption to bring all my kids home and life not knowing all my children would not have the heartache and joy I now feel I would not trade it!! Not for anything... Just one example in my short humble life....
So without the deep valleys how can you really appreciate the mountain top view? Boy I could go on about all my hardships, health issues, whatever. Life is not easy then God gives us free will on top of it! But I could also go on about all my blessings.....
Here is an example. I had some cancerous issues over 10 years ago ended up having a hysterectomy I thought it was horrible and questioned why God?? I felt destroyed... I was so thankful for my 2 beautiful children but knew I had more.
Well I never needed chemo and felt better I am happy to never know what God protected me from. Had that not happened I would never had pursued adoption to bring all my kids home and life not knowing all my children would not have the heartache and joy I now feel I would not trade it!! Not for anything... Just one example in my short humble life....
Sovereignty and adoption...
I have been thinking all weekend what to name this post and where to start. I sent out an email this morning to family & friends and am so thankful for you all. It was easy to tell which ones really know us and are involved in our lives and which ones hold a back row seat with quick opinions. I have to say I do appreciate all the honest responses either way.
Our lives have been busy, crazy... You get the idea...
but the comment has come up about adoption and God's sovereignty lately.
How could God allow so many bad things to happen specifically to S and Q. I am with you; something I have thought of often myself. I am by no means an expert, but this is where I have come.
Well over the past few years I have learned to trust his sovereignty, not as a feeling, but just like love as a choice. He either is or isn't, and I believe he is.
Just as I know there is no difference between an adopted child and a bio child. As a mother of both, they are, well, just my children. The children God has chosen to bless me with. Some for a much longer time than others, but still my children.
I refuse to give into my selfish indulgence to keep any of my children from what is best for them due to what a few naysayers who have never walked my path or even been in my home dictate. Or to just keep them to myself because I can't let go.
Two of our children are mentally ill, we have gotten so much help for them and given all we have to help them. It is very humbling to realize that is not enough. So this past weekend many miracles came together to get those 2 children the help they need and deserve. Yes all my children deserve the best. And guess what, that is not always me.
S & Q have made it very obvious since they came home that they had no desire to be in the same family or home. This past weekend they were both very thankful to learn that would no longer be an issue. They will always be part of the same family (ours) & (God's) but will not have to live together any longer. This made them both very happy as they professed to never see each other again :(
So Q went to live with a family with no other children which is what she needs most and deserves. She requires so much more attention than we could offer. She is very happy with her new home and that her mom (me) will always love her and be part of her life (smile)
S has gone to a treatment home and has so many more opportunities. I am so sad to say goodbye for now, (this has been a very emotional time) but so excited at the chance they are both being given. I know as a Mom my job is to teach them right in the ways they will go and let them go. They both really are closer to 17 years old. So I am letting go.
I will still talk to them, visit, write and send treats that only Mom can send. They have not left my heart and never will.
It is a gift! Only a Mommy can understand your children are always your children. One thing I know they learned here is they will always be loved, and for that I am thankful.
I know I am not perfect and could have done many things differently, and I am sad because this is not how I wanted it to be, but also know that I wouldn't change a thing; my kids, all 6 of them, are safe, loved and receiving all the help they need whether adopted or bio, they were all born in my heart!!
I also want to share the biggest lesson learned: I will never judge another's journey; I will only have love and support to offer. Only God knows how difficult it may be and I thank you all for your grace and love.
Keep checking for pictures there will be some of all 6 of our kids along with updates.
Just because they are not living in our home doesn't change the fact they are our chldren, we will post updates and pictures like always!! (grin)
Our lives have been busy, crazy... You get the idea...
but the comment has come up about adoption and God's sovereignty lately.
How could God allow so many bad things to happen specifically to S and Q. I am with you; something I have thought of often myself. I am by no means an expert, but this is where I have come.
Well over the past few years I have learned to trust his sovereignty, not as a feeling, but just like love as a choice. He either is or isn't, and I believe he is.
Just as I know there is no difference between an adopted child and a bio child. As a mother of both, they are, well, just my children. The children God has chosen to bless me with. Some for a much longer time than others, but still my children.
I refuse to give into my selfish indulgence to keep any of my children from what is best for them due to what a few naysayers who have never walked my path or even been in my home dictate. Or to just keep them to myself because I can't let go.
Two of our children are mentally ill, we have gotten so much help for them and given all we have to help them. It is very humbling to realize that is not enough. So this past weekend many miracles came together to get those 2 children the help they need and deserve. Yes all my children deserve the best. And guess what, that is not always me.
S & Q have made it very obvious since they came home that they had no desire to be in the same family or home. This past weekend they were both very thankful to learn that would no longer be an issue. They will always be part of the same family (ours) & (God's) but will not have to live together any longer. This made them both very happy as they professed to never see each other again :(
So Q went to live with a family with no other children which is what she needs most and deserves. She requires so much more attention than we could offer. She is very happy with her new home and that her mom (me) will always love her and be part of her life (smile)
S has gone to a treatment home and has so many more opportunities. I am so sad to say goodbye for now, (this has been a very emotional time) but so excited at the chance they are both being given. I know as a Mom my job is to teach them right in the ways they will go and let them go. They both really are closer to 17 years old. So I am letting go.
I will still talk to them, visit, write and send treats that only Mom can send. They have not left my heart and never will.
It is a gift! Only a Mommy can understand your children are always your children. One thing I know they learned here is they will always be loved, and for that I am thankful.
I know I am not perfect and could have done many things differently, and I am sad because this is not how I wanted it to be, but also know that I wouldn't change a thing; my kids, all 6 of them, are safe, loved and receiving all the help they need whether adopted or bio, they were all born in my heart!!
I also want to share the biggest lesson learned: I will never judge another's journey; I will only have love and support to offer. Only God knows how difficult it may be and I thank you all for your grace and love.
Keep checking for pictures there will be some of all 6 of our kids along with updates.
Just because they are not living in our home doesn't change the fact they are our chldren, we will post updates and pictures like always!! (grin)
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Women go vote!!
I got this from one of my kids awesome teachers today, women go make a difference!!
WHY WOMEN SHOULD VOTE
This is the story of our Grandmothers and Great-grandmothers; they lived only 90 years ago.
Remember, it was not until 1920 that women were granted the right to go to the polls and vote.
The women were innocent and defenseless, but they were jailed nonetheless for picketing the White House, carrying signs asking for the vote. And by the end of the night, they were barely alive. Forty prison guards wielding clubs and their warden's blessing went on a rampage against the 33 women wrongly convicted of 'obstructing sidewalk traffic.'
They beat Lucy Burns, chained her hands to the cell bars above her head and left her hanging through the night, bleeding and gasping for air.
They hurled Dora Lewis into a dark cell, smashed her head against an iron bed and knocked her out cold. Her cellmate, Alice Cosu, thought Lewis was dead and suffered a heart attack.Additional affidavits describe the guards grabbing, dragging, beating, choking, slamming, pinching, twisting and kicking the women.
Thus unfolded the 'Night of Terror' on Nov. 15, 1917,when the warden at the Occoquan Workhouse in Virginia ordered his guards to teach a lesson to the suffragists imprisoned there because they dared to picket Woodrow Wilson's White House for the right to vote. For weeks, the women's only water came from an open pail. Their food--all of it colorless slop--was infested with worms.
When one of the leaders, Alice Paul, embarked on a hunger strike, they tied her to a chair, forced a tube down her throat and poured liquid into her until she vomited. She was tortured like this for weeks until word was smuggled out to the press. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/suffrage/nwp/prisoners.pdf
So, refresh my memory. Some women won't vote this year because--why, exactly? We have carpool duties? We have to get to work? Our vote doesn't matter? It's raining?
Last week, I went to a sparsely attended screening of HBO's new movie 'Iron Jawed Angels.' It is a graphic depiction of the battle these women waged so that I could pull the curtain at the polling booth and have my say. I am ashamed to say I needed the reminder.
All these years later, voter registration is still my passion. But the actual act of voting had become less personal for me, more rote. Frankly, voting often felt more like an obligation than a privilege. Sometimes it was inconvenient.
My friend Wendy, who is my age and studied women's history, saw the HBO movie, too. When she stopped by my desk to talk about it, she looked angry. She was--with herself. 'One thoughtkept coming back to me as I watched that movie,' she said. 'What would those women think of the way I use, or don't use, my right to vote? All of us take it for granted now, not just younger women, but those of us who did seek to learn.' The right to vote, she said, had become valuable to her 'all over again.'
HBO released the movie on video and DVD I wish all history, social studies and government teachers would include the movie in their curriculum I want it shown on Bunco night, too, and anywhere else women gather. I realize this isn't our usual idea of socializing, but we are not voting in the numbers that we should be, and I thinka little shock therapy is in order.
It is jarring to watch Woodrow Wilson and his cronies try to persuade a psychiatrist to declare Alice Paul insane so that she could be permanently institutionalized. And it is inspiring to watch the doctor refuse. Alice Paul was strong, he said, and brave. That didn't make her crazy.
The doctor admonished the men: 'Courage in women is often mistaken for insanity.'
Please, if you are so inclined, pass this on to all the women you know.
We need to get out and vote and use this right that was fought so hard for by these very courageous women. Whether you vote democratic, republican or independent party - remember to vote.History is being made today.
WHY WOMEN SHOULD VOTE
This is the story of our Grandmothers and Great-grandmothers; they lived only 90 years ago.
Remember, it was not until 1920 that women were granted the right to go to the polls and vote.
The women were innocent and defenseless, but they were jailed nonetheless for picketing the White House, carrying signs asking for the vote. And by the end of the night, they were barely alive. Forty prison guards wielding clubs and their warden's blessing went on a rampage against the 33 women wrongly convicted of 'obstructing sidewalk traffic.'
They beat Lucy Burns, chained her hands to the cell bars above her head and left her hanging through the night, bleeding and gasping for air.
They hurled Dora Lewis into a dark cell, smashed her head against an iron bed and knocked her out cold. Her cellmate, Alice Cosu, thought Lewis was dead and suffered a heart attack.Additional affidavits describe the guards grabbing, dragging, beating, choking, slamming, pinching, twisting and kicking the women.
Thus unfolded the 'Night of Terror' on Nov. 15, 1917,when the warden at the Occoquan Workhouse in Virginia ordered his guards to teach a lesson to the suffragists imprisoned there because they dared to picket Woodrow Wilson's White House for the right to vote. For weeks, the women's only water came from an open pail. Their food--all of it colorless slop--was infested with worms.
When one of the leaders, Alice Paul, embarked on a hunger strike, they tied her to a chair, forced a tube down her throat and poured liquid into her until she vomited. She was tortured like this for weeks until word was smuggled out to the press. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/suffrage/nwp/prisoners.pdf
So, refresh my memory. Some women won't vote this year because--why, exactly? We have carpool duties? We have to get to work? Our vote doesn't matter? It's raining?
Last week, I went to a sparsely attended screening of HBO's new movie 'Iron Jawed Angels.' It is a graphic depiction of the battle these women waged so that I could pull the curtain at the polling booth and have my say. I am ashamed to say I needed the reminder.
All these years later, voter registration is still my passion. But the actual act of voting had become less personal for me, more rote. Frankly, voting often felt more like an obligation than a privilege. Sometimes it was inconvenient.
My friend Wendy, who is my age and studied women's history, saw the HBO movie, too. When she stopped by my desk to talk about it, she looked angry. She was--with herself. 'One thoughtkept coming back to me as I watched that movie,' she said. 'What would those women think of the way I use, or don't use, my right to vote? All of us take it for granted now, not just younger women, but those of us who did seek to learn.' The right to vote, she said, had become valuable to her 'all over again.'
HBO released the movie on video and DVD I wish all history, social studies and government teachers would include the movie in their curriculum I want it shown on Bunco night, too, and anywhere else women gather. I realize this isn't our usual idea of socializing, but we are not voting in the numbers that we should be, and I thinka little shock therapy is in order.
It is jarring to watch Woodrow Wilson and his cronies try to persuade a psychiatrist to declare Alice Paul insane so that she could be permanently institutionalized. And it is inspiring to watch the doctor refuse. Alice Paul was strong, he said, and brave. That didn't make her crazy.
The doctor admonished the men: 'Courage in women is often mistaken for insanity.'
Please, if you are so inclined, pass this on to all the women you know.
We need to get out and vote and use this right that was fought so hard for by these very courageous women. Whether you vote democratic, republican or independent party - remember to vote.History is being made today.
The Invisible Mother
I got this in an email today and it was too good not to share!!
The Invisible Mother
It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?' Obviously, not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all.
I'm invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? & Can you open this?Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England.
Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.'
It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe .
I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription:
'To Charlotte , with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:
No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names.
These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.
They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.
The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte . I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.' At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life.
It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on.
The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.When I really think about it, I don't want my daughter to tell the friend she's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want her to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to her friend, to add, 'you're gonna love it there.'As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot see if we're doing it right.
And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.
Great Job, MOM!
The Invisible Mother
It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?' Obviously, not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all.
I'm invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? & Can you open this?Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England.
Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.'
It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe .
I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription:
'To Charlotte , with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:
No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names.
These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.
They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.
The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte . I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.' At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life.
It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on.
The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.When I really think about it, I don't want my daughter to tell the friend she's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want her to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to her friend, to add, 'you're gonna love it there.'As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot see if we're doing it right.
And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.
Great Job, MOM!
Friday, September 19, 2008
Devotional
This was a very fitting devotional today!!
Today's Truth 3 John 1:4 "I could have no greater joy than to hear that my children are following the truth." (NLT)
Friend to FriendAs I type this, my oldest daughter, Stephanie, is preparing to go off to college. She leaves in a little over two weeks. It is so bitter-sweet I can hardly stand it! They say that once you have a child, you forever wear your heart on the outside of your body. I can relate to that statement.
She made a decision a few months ago to stay home and go to a college close by. I thought it was strange at the time because she had already picked out a great Christian University to attend that was about two hours away. Of course, this change in her plans excited me as I was thrilled she would be near us! However, she began to regret her decision after awhile and I saw her entire demeanor change.
She was honest with me about three weeks ago and said she made the decision because she didn't want me to be hurt if she left. I never asked her to stay, but somehow I must have left the impression that I was going to fall apart the day she walked out the door! I was devastated that I did that to her.
Now I was ready to let her go. She is going to her original University choice and I couldn't be happier for her. Sure, I will miss her deeply but seeing her so miserable out of the will of God made me realize that I'd rather let her go than keep her here and have her walking in disobedience and misery. Who am I to stand in the way of what God has for her?
I'm realizing as my children are all growing up that letting go is hard and exciting all at the same time. Honestly, I think I'm at the place where I'm more excited for her than I am sad for me, but it's been a tough year. She's not really my child anyway -- she belongs to God. He has plans for her that are so exciting and wonderful that I can't help but be excited for her! I'm so blessed to have her in my life and as long as I point her to Him, I've done my job well.
I still have three more children in the nest to nurture for now but it's time for my Stephanie to try out those beautiful wings now. Fly, baby! Fly!
I'm reminded today of these lyrics from Find Your Wings by Mark Harris:
I pray that God would fill your heart with dreams And that faith gives you the courage To dare to do great things I'm here for you whatever this life brings So let my love give you roots And help you find your wings
It's not living if you don't reach for the sky I'll have tears as you take off But I'll cheer as you fly
Let's PrayOh, Father! You have given us such a gift in our precious children. Thank You for allowing us to be used by You to help them grow. Please give us grace as we raise them and inevitably, let them go. Thank You for the fact that they are Your children and You love them even more than we do and that even though our job is to let them go, Your job is to hold on to them for dear life! Please care for them, protect them and direct their steps. You are faithful! In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Today's Truth 3 John 1:4 "I could have no greater joy than to hear that my children are following the truth." (NLT)
Friend to FriendAs I type this, my oldest daughter, Stephanie, is preparing to go off to college. She leaves in a little over two weeks. It is so bitter-sweet I can hardly stand it! They say that once you have a child, you forever wear your heart on the outside of your body. I can relate to that statement.
She made a decision a few months ago to stay home and go to a college close by. I thought it was strange at the time because she had already picked out a great Christian University to attend that was about two hours away. Of course, this change in her plans excited me as I was thrilled she would be near us! However, she began to regret her decision after awhile and I saw her entire demeanor change.
She was honest with me about three weeks ago and said she made the decision because she didn't want me to be hurt if she left. I never asked her to stay, but somehow I must have left the impression that I was going to fall apart the day she walked out the door! I was devastated that I did that to her.
Now I was ready to let her go. She is going to her original University choice and I couldn't be happier for her. Sure, I will miss her deeply but seeing her so miserable out of the will of God made me realize that I'd rather let her go than keep her here and have her walking in disobedience and misery. Who am I to stand in the way of what God has for her?
I'm realizing as my children are all growing up that letting go is hard and exciting all at the same time. Honestly, I think I'm at the place where I'm more excited for her than I am sad for me, but it's been a tough year. She's not really my child anyway -- she belongs to God. He has plans for her that are so exciting and wonderful that I can't help but be excited for her! I'm so blessed to have her in my life and as long as I point her to Him, I've done my job well.
I still have three more children in the nest to nurture for now but it's time for my Stephanie to try out those beautiful wings now. Fly, baby! Fly!
I'm reminded today of these lyrics from Find Your Wings by Mark Harris:
I pray that God would fill your heart with dreams And that faith gives you the courage To dare to do great things I'm here for you whatever this life brings So let my love give you roots And help you find your wings
It's not living if you don't reach for the sky I'll have tears as you take off But I'll cheer as you fly
Let's PrayOh, Father! You have given us such a gift in our precious children. Thank You for allowing us to be used by You to help them grow. Please give us grace as we raise them and inevitably, let them go. Thank You for the fact that they are Your children and You love them even more than we do and that even though our job is to let them go, Your job is to hold on to them for dear life! Please care for them, protect them and direct their steps. You are faithful! In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
hmm... here we go again..
So everyone here is quickly going down with a horrible cold. I can't say I am surprised with how we have been running lately. Football, and volleyball have begun the daily running :)
I have had yet another health snag... 3 ovarian cysts this time. They are wanting to wait and watch fearing I could lose both ovaries this time :( I am kinda attached to them so waiting is a great idea. So like always I have started a new supplement :) The one for the MS works so great I pray this one will too!!
We are also praying over some situations that have come up that could greatly reduce the stress in our home :)
S returned home and has much worse behavior which is what we expected. He and Q are desperate to not be in the same house, or family.
Todd is literally down with this cold so please pray he feels a lot better quickly.
A has bronchitis but won't let it slow her down. She had her first volleyball game yesterday and did great! And ran the mile Friday she is so determined and strong!
A & J both did a great job and passed hunters safety. It was a pretty rigorous class too. A few kids got kicked out for being a little late ,even on the last day. Serious stuff!
Princess even ran the 1/2 mile. She is such a big girl. She is doing great with school. It still amazes me she is 5 doing 1st grade work... Wasn't she just born yesterday?
I have had yet another health snag... 3 ovarian cysts this time. They are wanting to wait and watch fearing I could lose both ovaries this time :( I am kinda attached to them so waiting is a great idea. So like always I have started a new supplement :) The one for the MS works so great I pray this one will too!!
We are also praying over some situations that have come up that could greatly reduce the stress in our home :)
S returned home and has much worse behavior which is what we expected. He and Q are desperate to not be in the same house, or family.
Todd is literally down with this cold so please pray he feels a lot better quickly.
A has bronchitis but won't let it slow her down. She had her first volleyball game yesterday and did great! And ran the mile Friday she is so determined and strong!
A & J both did a great job and passed hunters safety. It was a pretty rigorous class too. A few kids got kicked out for being a little late ,even on the last day. Serious stuff!
Princess even ran the 1/2 mile. She is such a big girl. She is doing great with school. It still amazes me she is 5 doing 1st grade work... Wasn't she just born yesterday?
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Little Miss M
We are blessed to have a visitor for the next few weeks. Todd fell in love with her in Liberia over 2 years ago and she will be visiting us for awhile :)Tuesday, August 26, 2008
update
We have a sweet little 8 year old spending a few weeks with us she is a blessing to have around. I will post pictures when I get some. She and A are having a great time. S is staying with some friends for a few weeks and Q will be in and out with respite and jail time over the next couple weeks. It is so peaceful here it is nice to just enjoy a day !! Getting ready for school to start next week not sure where summer went but this break before it starts is a real blessing!!
Monday, August 4, 2008
Summer time
I still can't believe how quickly summer seems to go. Every year it just goes faster! We are still enjoying evening baseball, and softball games. A's team has been giving us some pretty exciting ones that have come down to the last play!!
We have gotten some respite to help deal with Q's antics every other weekend she is now staying at the school she attends. So she leaves Friday morning and comes back Monday afternoon what a nice time for everyone to regroup.
Princess & Wild Mike well they love water anywhere any time!! They just love being outside.. That is where we are headed!!
We have gotten some respite to help deal with Q's antics every other weekend she is now staying at the school she attends. So she leaves Friday morning and comes back Monday afternoon what a nice time for everyone to regroup.
Princess & Wild Mike well they love water anywhere any time!! They just love being outside.. That is where we are headed!!
Rosebud
Well Mom & Dad talked and decided the answer would be YES! I know, I know we get so used to the regular NO this was a nice surprise! A, J, & Princess had it all planned out. They all really miss Kiowa and wanted a new puppy, they were promised they could keep one of Kiowa's and that ended so sadly. This seemed like a good thing. So Friday night we picked up Princess Rosebud!
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Sad day!
Well it has been an eventful time lately but just when things seem like God must know this is all we can handle! The storm continues... We were blessed with 7 adorable puppies on June 11-12.
This was the time Q was sent to spend some time with a cool Liberian family for a few weeks maybe help get her act together :)
Also we found out A was having a terrible time with her epilepsy and more treatment would be needed.
This too is when S thought it would be great to start attacking people and acting more like Q. We atarted finding all the things he had stolen and lied about.
So 2 days after Q arrived to where she would be visiting for 4 weeks I was called to be told how aweful her behaviour was and she would return home the next day.
Ok then A's EEG came back terribly abnormal. Now I am also starting to feel a little stressed and getting wierd MS symptoms.
So 5 puppies end up dying. No one knows what is going on but the other 2 and mom are doing great!
So last week I wasn't feeling well and lost all funtcion to my right arm, had headaches, vision, & bladder problems. So off to the ER and 3 days of IV roids & I can now move my arm :) But my veins are so sore from the miraculous crud they pumped in.
Well Sunday morning another puppy was dead :(
So Monday the last puppy looked bad so we took him to the vet. I was up with Butterball trying to rehydrate him and he died anyways :(
So today we lost Kiowa. Our kids are devastated. This has all been so much!
Apparently she developed tumors that attacked her neurological system and she was septic so they euthanised her this afternoon.
We will miss our sweet Kiowa!
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Wild Mike and Time out
We all know Wild Mike is very used to time outs. He has even been known to put himself in time out when he is not being very kind. He knows there are consequences, but I do think he is a little too comfortable with his time out spot! I knew he was just too quiet!Princesses
Princess is a crafty gal she loves painting and making crafts well she saw this princess craft on one of her movies and was determined to make it whether we had all the right stuff or not.I must say she did a great job!!
Now she wants me to go to the store to buy a carton of milk so she can use the carton to make a dragon..... (grin)
Princess and her puppy
Princess has lost her 3rd tooth. She is 5 now it was her front one this time and she looks so cute! Here she is with Buddy she wanted a girl named Rosebud but with 2 boys Buddy seemed close enough :)Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Readers Digest article on Adoption
http://www.rd.com/your-america-inspiring-people-and-stories/loving-family-adopts-romanian-orphan/article54458.html
This is an article a friend of ours told us about that shows a glimpse of typical things all of us here in our family deal with
From the Dad of this Crew
This is an article a friend of ours told us about that shows a glimpse of typical things all of us here in our family deal with
From the Dad of this Crew
Friday, June 20, 2008
WOW Whats your excuse?
This is an amazing testimony what a great reminder for us all!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSRj7JqURjc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSRj7JqURjc
Monday, June 9, 2008
Wild mikes blankey!
Wild Mikes blankey is slowly disappearing! That blankey has been everywhere with him!!Butterflies!
This spring the kids got caterpillars and watched them turn into butterflies. They enjoyed letting them go too! Very neat science project!
talk about double vision!
So the MS has made my vision a little strange and talking to my doctor on Friday I told him you know I have 6 kids and I am ok with that but this double vision makes it a dozen and that is a little much for me. We both laughed! but seriously I do have 6 kids and still have never seen this before. The dentist assured me this is normal, but still interesting two teeth in a row. 
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Wild Mike
After putting Wild Mike to bed I had to go down stairs to finish up a few Mom duties, when I went to bed I stopped to kiss him but he was MIA. I found him curled up sleeping in the back bottom of my closet. What a little cutie. Daddy put him in bed after a quick picture.The Dentist
Princess had her first visit to the dentist. I was certain no coaxing would get her in the chair but the amazing dentist (father of 5) not only showed her how everything worked but let her try it first. She let his assistant even polish her teeth. She will now only use her special tooth brush and tooth paste from him. Who wouldn't love a guy who makes you your own balloon animal! Good news 6 kids no cavities !! Bad news 2 need braces!!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Very sad Steven Curtis Chapman!
Steven Curtis Chapman, well known Christian recording artist, has done more than practically anybody to promote adoptions. I know many families who were able to adopt due to the financial generosity of Shaohannah's Hope, the grant program the Chapman family started to help other Christian families adopt children. They have experienced a horrific accident in their family, their 10th grade biological son accidentally ran over the youngest of their 3 adopted girls from China and she died last night.
http://www.stevencurtischapman.com/
http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/chi-steven-curtis-chapman-daughter-080522-ht,0,6846919.story
http://www.stevencurtischapman.com/
http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/chi-steven-curtis-chapman-daughter-080522-ht,0,6846919.story
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Jaymun
http://www.jaymun.com/journal/2008_05_12/
I have added this link to my favorites please pray for our friends as their amazing son once again fights cancer.
I have added this link to my favorites please pray for our friends as their amazing son once again fights cancer.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
New school!
Well it seems so many things have finally come together. Q started school yesterday the local school district decided after accessing her she would be a good candidate for a special school near us. They even agreed it is appropriate for her to attend during this summer. Our local district really put her needs first!! This is a huge victory. Professionals will teach her daily that are experienced with children who have similar struggles. The house sure seems ALOT quieter!! She is also now eligible for other resources as well. Praise God! Thank you for all your prayers...
Summer Sports!
Well the summer sports are starting!! S started soccer practice a few weeks ago. J starts baseball practice next week. A & Princess will start soon too.
S had his first soccer game last night I did not get to go :( I have a commitment at church until the end of the month. I did get the replay though. It was his first game in America. The game tied 1 to 1. Who do you think scored that goal?? That's right S. He was so excited. He did a great job!!
S had his first soccer game last night I did not get to go :( I have a commitment at church until the end of the month. I did get the replay though. It was his first game in America. The game tied 1 to 1. Who do you think scored that goal?? That's right S. He was so excited. He did a great job!!
Princess Luncheon
She always knew she was a real Princess but saturday we went to the Royal Princess Tea Party. The King and Queen were there along with Belle, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, & Snow White. Princess was given a roayl proclimation declaring her a true princess she even danced with the King. Just the two of us went we had a great time!!
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